Arrogance & Grace
by GeorgysGirl
Summary: Set after S2 Scar. Kat is given a reality check.


Title: Arrogance and Grace  
Summary: Set after "Scar"  
Disclaimer: Not mine, not none if it.  
Notes: Thanks to Cinnie who beta'd out of her fandoms.

Kat shifted on her feet outside Adama's office. She had never been here other than the first time she set foot on Galactica as a nugget, nervous and jumpy. She knocked again and waited.

"Come."

She ignored the nervous lurch in her belly and pushed the door open. Adama was seated at his desk, his head bent over some papers. He glanced up as she came in and saluted him sharply.

"Come in, close the door."

Kat swung the door shut and came to stand obediently before Adama. He gestured to a chair.

"Take a seat, Lieutenant Katraine."

She sat, forcing her hands to lay still in her lap instead of twisting them around, picking her fingernails.

"So, you're Galactica's new sharpshooter. How does it feel to be top of the shots?" His enquiry was casual and his tone complimentary. Kat couldn't help the smile that crossed her face.

"Pretty good, Sir."

"Well, you've come a long way."

"Thank you, Sir."

Adama noted the self-satisfied smirk on her face and waited a beat before dropping the bomb.

"There is just one little thing we need to clear up…."

"Sir?" The smirk was gone now.

"It's about Lieutenant Thrace." He gave Starbuck her formal title and then paused to see what Kat had to say.

"Starbuck?" Kat hesitated, unsure of where he was going with this.

"Yes." Adama leaned back in his chair and regarded the Viper pilot thoughtfully. "You see, what you probably don't realise is that the transmissions for missions are recorded. For the most part now they are discarded except for training missions, but in this particular case, the recording was kept and passed to me."

"I didn't know." Kat met his eyes levelly.

"Well, considering who it was who took Scar out, I listened to the recording."

"You didn't think I could do it, Sir?" Kat's question slipped out, and she mentally kicked herself.

"No, I have no qualms as to your flying or shooting ability." Adama steepled his fingers. "I understand that you had a lively discussion with Lt Thrace about tactics earlier."

"She told you about that?" Kat said, outraged "I can't believe her."

"Commander Adama told me," Adama said shortly. "And since your recent _triumph_," he filled that word with contempt, "seems to have inflated your ego somewhat, I believe it may be time for you to have a reality check."

He rose to his feet and began to pace as he spoke quietly.

"Firstly, you are still a rookie, despite what you believe. Six months from training to cockpit does not make you a star pilot, no matter how long and how often you're patrolling. Secondly, Lieutenant, I've listened to the flight recording and I know that Lt Thrace, flying as your wingman, caught Scar sneaking up behind you and, with engine problems, indulged in a little chicken run before leading him straight to you." He turned to look at her seriously. "Easy shot."

"You have a problem with my taking Scar out, Sir?"

"No, Lieutenant. I have a problem with your attitude afterwards. Are you so sure that you could have taken him out if Lt Thrace hadn't led him straight to you?" Kat opened her mouth to answer, but Adama held his finger up for silence. "As an ex-Viper pilot I appreciate that a certain amount of arrogance is required to get the job done. What is also required is a certain amount of grace."

"Sir, if I could just say…" Kat tried to speak but the words couldn't come. If she moaned about Starbuck she'd look like a whiner. If she didn't she looked like an idiot.

"What?" Adama raised his eyebrows at her. "If you're planning on raising your concerns with Lt Thrace's current state of mind and attitude, I can assure you they've already been brought to my attention. If you had or have a problem with any of the pilots, whether they be your superiors or not, the person to take it up with is the CAG. I can tell you that no action will be taken against Lt Thrace for the deaths for which you personally hold her responsible, because we couldn't do any worse to her than she's doing to herself."

"Yes, Sir." Kat bit her lip, chastised.

"Striking a superior officer is a brig-worthy offence, Lieutenant, as you are no doubt well aware from the amount of time Lt Thrace has spent there. You should consider yourself lucky that no further action is being taken following your 'lively discussion'. Just make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Thank you, Sir." Kat's tone was flat, and Adama's eyes narrowed. He knew this drill; Starbuck had run it on him a hundred times when he was bawling her out for losing her temper.

"You don't seem particularly thankful, Lieutenant," Adama commented. "What you did out there today was a good thing. What you did later in the common room was not a good thing. I could give you some trite speech about 'the higher you go, the further you fall', but I'm pretty sure you think that doesn't apply to you."

Adama leaned over his desk and she leaned back a little, surprised that she was feeling intimidated by him. "If you think that taking Scar out makes you the best of the best, you're very wrong. You rank at least fourth in this fleet, as far as I'm concerned."

Kat couldn't help herself. "Fourth? Who's first?"

"Lt Thrace and Commander Adama," he told her with a grin. "I couldn't pick one over the other, even if the Commander wasn't my son." The grin faded. "You take some time, Lieutenant, to find that grace because if you don't, you're going to find yourself very unpopular. Take it from someone who knows."

"Yes, Sir." The high that Kat had been on since she had landed back on Galactic had dissipated with every word the Admiral had spoken. Part of her railed at him: _It's only because Starbuck's your favourite_, she howled in her head. _You just can't bear the idea of her not being the best, the top. _

The other part of her, the part of her that was Louanne, that remembered Starbuck at the beginning and the patience she had shown Kat, told her she'd had it coming. _Pride comes before a fall, Kat,_ Louanne said to herself.

"Dismissed."

Kat rose to leave and got the door before she realised something.

"Sir?"

"Yes." He had his head bent over his work again.

"You said fourth, but only mentioned Starbuck and Apollo. Who's the other?"

Adama raised his head and she saw mirth in his face. "Why, Lieutenant, that would be me."

He grinned and she couldn't help but grin back.

"Arrogance and grace, Lieutenant Katraine. Remember that."


End file.
